


people who love the same

by templemarker



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Didn't Know They Were Dating, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22730461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templemarker/pseuds/templemarker
Summary: Buck was just reheating a plate for Eddie when he heard a very familiar snort behind him."Okay, what now," he said expectantly."So," Hen drawled, "you have one plate on the counter, steaming, already had a couple of bites. And now you've got a second plate," she gestured at the microwave to the reheating lasagne, "and we all know whothatplate's for."Buck looked at her, tilting his head. "I mean, I always make a plate for Eddie," he said, confused.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson
Comments: 35
Kudos: 1241
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	people who love the same

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DramamineOnTopOfMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramamineOnTopOfMe/gifts).



> I was working on this before the reveal and definitely wanted to finish it! I hope you enjoy, DramamineOnTopOfMe, it was a lot of fun to write. 
> 
> No specific episode call out -- sort of at and right after the end of Season 2, progressing more or less to 3x10, "Christmas Spirit."

Buck was just reheating a plate for Eddie when he heard a very familiar snort behind him. He didn't have to look around to see that it was Hen: by now, Buck could tell who anyone in the firehouse was from their snore alone.

"Okay, what now," he said expectantly. It was almost comforting by now to take shit from Hen; that's how he knew she was thinking of him, that she cared. It was kind of like having another older sister, loving and longsuffering by turns. 

"So," Hen drawled, "you have one plate on the counter, steaming, already had a couple of bites. And now you've got a second plate," she gestured at the microwave to the reheating lasagne, "and we all know who _that_ plate's for."

Buck looked at her, tilting his head. "I mean, I always make a plate for Eddie," he said, confused. "He usually sticks to Christopher's schedule, so he's ravenous after the first call-out."

Hen just looked at him, pointed. " _Yeah_ ," she said. "Like I would do for Karen."

He grinned at her. "You're such a good spouse," he teased. Just as Hen was about to reply, the microwave dinged and Buck grabbed both of their plates, heading to where Eddie was at one of the smaller tables tearing through a granola bar while also on a call with Abuela, checking in. "We gotta eat, catch you later, Hen," he called over his shoulder. 

"Think about what you just said, Buck," she called at him, and Buck just shook his head. She was always on him about something. It was so nice that she cared.

§§§

Chim had one end of the Ikea box and Eddie had the other; Buck was directing them into Maddie's new apartment, which had even tighter corners than the last one. Eddie was pretty sure Chim had helped her pick it out, and he _still_ claimed they were just friends; it was so obvious that they were dating, though. Eddie'd had "friends" like that in his early years with the Army, before he'd met Shannon. No one wanted to call it what it really was, but you spend fifteen hours a day with a guy, at least six of those hours by choice, and it's not exactly kumbaya. 

"You got it in, great job guys!" Buck said cheerfully as Eddie and Chim set the box down in the dining room. "I'll get you some waters, hang on."

Eddie watched him leave, noticing that the waistband of Buck's jeans had dipped a little low, just enough to catch a flash of skin as he jogged out of the room. He made a note to tell Buck later that all the glute work they'd been doing was paying off. 

When he turned back to look at Chimney, the guy had the wry look on his face he usually saved for dumb plays in sports and what he considered to be "wrong" opinions in craft brew choices. "What," Eddie said warily; sometimes the shit Chimney got up to was a little annoying, although he always meant well.

"When are you gonna admit you're all in with him, eh?" Chimney said. 

Eddie pulled the bandanna from his back pocket and ran it over his face to collect the sweat falling in his eyes. "Don't you mean you and Maddie?" he kicked back, raising an eyebrow. 

"Man, you know we're working on things," Chim said, a little defensively. "She's got some stuff, I've got some stuff. I'm just grateful we still want to be in the same room with one another after everything that happened."

"Yeah," Eddie drawled, "but you're still all in, pal."

Chim all but rolled his eyes. "That is _exactly my point_ ," he said, "about you and my future brother-in-law."

Eddie picked up a nearby pillow and threw it at Chim; Buck came back with water for both of them before Chim could retaliate. 

After the first sip, Eddie asked, "You're coming over after this for dinner, right? Christopher's been talking about 'his Buck' all day, he wants to show you the science project he's working on."

They both ignored Chimney's muttered "Oh my god," as he left the room.

§§§

Athena was giving Buck a lift back to the firehouse after he had stuck around with another crew to finish dousing a fire at a bra factory on Beverley Boulevard and South Alvardo. They chatted about her kids, the stir-fry Bobby had made on Monday, the questionable competency of the Clippers and Athena's plans to take May and Harry to a Sparks game next month. 

They had a few moments of comfortable silence and then Athena said, "When are you going to start bringing Eddie to Sunday dinner? I know he knows you come, he has to be aware you haven't invited him."

"Um," Buck said, a little taken aback. "I hadn't -- planned on asking him? I wouldn't want to be an imposition at dinner, Athena. And they usually spend Sundays with Abuela, that's where I come from most of the time when I'm heading over to yours."

They paused for a stoplight, and Athena looked over at him, her gaze piercing even through her mirrored aviators. "Bring him," she said firmly. "Bring Christopher. Harry likes him a lot, he'll want to show off his Legos."

"I--okay," Buck said, carefully. "I'll ask. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"It will," Athena said, with a bone-deep certainty that Buck couldn't help but envy occasionally.

§§§

Eddie was puzzling over the forms he needed to complete for Christopher's upcoming field trip. He would have thought he was an old hand by now, but for whatever reason, he always found them so daunting. Buck had taken to filling out as much of the information as he knew any time he found new stuff in the file folder Eddie used for Christopher's paperwork. 

He was shaking his head at the third form down -- they never offered enough room for emergency medical protocols, at this point he just kept everything in a word doc and printed it off to attach to the medical form -- when there was a slight clink of a mug next to his arm. He looked up at Bobby, who had a compassionate smile on his face, and gestured for him to sit down. 

"Thought you could use a pick me up," Bobby said, nudging the latte towards him. 

"Yeah," Eddie sighed. "You'd think this stuff would get easier with repetition, but not for me."

Bobby seemed to visibly hesitate for a moment and then decided to say whatever he wanted to say. "I got a call from Christopher's school today," he said, pulling his own mug to rest in both hands. "They wanted to verify Buck's employment as part of a background check."

Eddie brightened. "Oh, great," he said. "I thought that was going to take a lot longer."

Bobby looked surprised. "So... Buck is acting as a guardian for Christopher at the school?"

"Yeah," Eddie said, ruffling a hand through his hair. "He's been at the school with me a lot, and he was so great at Parent-Teacher Night last month; one of the administrators pointed out that he wasn't already on Christopher's guardian list, and since my abuela stopped driving I haven't really had anyone else I trust with him."

"Ah," Bobby said. Eddie couldn't figure out why he sounded kind of weird, but then, sometimes Bobby just went a little vague. After everything he'd been through Eddie could hardly blame him. 

"So," Bobby continued, "He's kind of a, er, quasi-parental figure?"

Eddie considered the question. After Shannon's death, Buck had really stepped up to help with Christopher, both with Eddie and separately caring for Christopher, giving Eddie the space he really needed to deal with all the stuff Shannon had left behind after her death. Estranged for years or not, Eddie was still her husband, and her life in Los Angeles fell to him to deal with. 

Even after the whole lawsuit thing, Buck had been the one thing Eddie was certain of during the tsunami. And these days, Buck was more closely integrated into their lives than ever; Abuela loved him, Tia Pepa liked to tease him about all his muscles, and Christopher thought he hung the moon. 

Buck was part of the family, their family, an indelible part of their lives. Sometimes Eddie looked at Buck and wished he'd been there longer, imagined him stepping in right after Shannon left, when Eddie had been so overwhelmed at the time he wanted to scream and cry simultaneously.

"Yeah," Eddie said finally, aware he'd been quiet for a little too long. "Yeah, I'd call him that."

"Okay," Bobby said slowly. "Do you want that reflected on your personnel forms?"

"Oh hell," Eddie groaned, "not more forms!"

§§§

It was a Saturday morning, and they'd already achieved pancakes, cartoons, and a Christopher-paced walk around the neighborhood, petting every dog and cat they ran into. Eddie and Buck were slumped together on the couch, half-asleep from the sun's warmth through the windows. 

They woke up a little bit to Christopher climbing into the space between them; Buck drew his head up from where it had been resting on Eddie's shoulder and snuck a hand across his mouth to take care of any drool that might have happened. Eddie's amused look told him he hadn't been very successful at sneaking. 

"What's up, Chris?" Eddie asked, drawing his arm from Buck's shoulders to tug Christopher into a half-hug. 

Christopher pulled the paper he'd carefully placed on the coffee table so that it was in his lap. It was from an extra-large sketch pad, so the edges of the paper fell over both Eddie and Buck's knees when he rolled it out. 

On the page, Christopher had carefully drawn a portrait of a family in front of a house that looked like theirs. Clearly it had taken him hours, because the drawing was very detailed, and none of the colours had gone outside the lines he'd drawn. 

"That's awesome, kid," Buck said warmly. Eddie rubbed the back of Christopher's head; his kid just floored him sometimes. Every day Christopher taught him how to be more humble, more grateful, more full of joy.

"It's you, Daddy," Christopher said, pointing to the dark-haired man on one side of the house. "And you're holding Buck's hand, because that's what you do when you love someone." There was a fair-haired man on the other side of the shorter figure that was definitely Christopher, and yeah, both of the men were holding hands over the head of the Christopher in the drawing. 

Eddie looked over at Buck to find him sharing the same wry grin. Neither of them would dare say otherwise; more than once they'd talked in low voices in the kitchen about setting positive male role models for Christopher, especially between two men. All the bullshit he'd seen and been subject to growing up and then in the military, all the male posturing and hypermasculine bullshit -- he didn't want his son to ever feel like that was some standard he had to reach to. That it was somehow wrong to love his friends, whatever gender. Moments like this made Eddie hopeful -- that he would still be able to raise his son into a good man, despite his mom being gone. That he himself was living up to the standards he wanted to model for his son. 

"That's really great, Christopher," he said softly. "I'm really proud of you, you know?"

Christopher smiled up at him and kissed him on the cheek. Eddie prayed every day that his son would still be affectionate as he grew up; it would break his heart otherwise. 

"Now you kiss my Buck!" Christopher demanded, and both Eddie and Buck laughed. Eddie leaned over and kissed Buck on his cheek, grateful the guy had shaved this morning. Buck let out a little huff of surprise, or laughter, and the moment seemed to spiral out for longer that the seconds it took to kiss. 

When Eddie pulled back, Christopher was looking at them approvingly, and he snuggled his way back so that he was wedged between them even more. "Let's watch Voltron!" he said, with the imperiousness of a child who knew he was going to get what he wanted. 

Buck was genuinely laughing as he ducked down to grab the tv remote, clicking on the tv and bringing his arm to wrap around Christopher, and onto Eddie's shoulders where they met, holding Christopher. 

It was just another Saturday, another good day in a long, welcome stream of good days.

§§§

It was another full moon night on shift, and while Eddie wasn't convinced that the crazy shit they dealt with that night had anything to do with the moon, he was willing to let Evan try and convince him otherwise. 

"You know that's entirely anecdotal," he pointed out, and Buck laughed. 

They were on the roof of the firehouse, where the crew had spent a week over the summer retrofitting a patio and installing furniture, plants, and a grill. No one else was up there, most people electing to stay in the lofted lounge area against the slight bite of an October night. But the heat lamp up on the roof was pretty good, and they'd tucked themselves under one of the large fleece blankets too. 

Eddie was a familiar warmth along Evan's side. He'd never had someone in his life like this, someone he felt so close to, so seen. So loved. Sometimes he was so grateful it choked him; Eddie always just tugged him close, let him feel his feelings. 

"Hey," Eddie said quietly, and Evan looked over at him. He wasn't surprised that Eddie kissed him; he was only surprised that he kissed him now. 

It was the best kiss he'd ever had. 

They parted, and Evan said, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Eddie replied, his eyes a little darker and shining with certainty. 

The next kiss felt like it had been waiting for them; it felt like forever.

**Author's Note:**

> “Friendship ... is born at the moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”  
> ― C.S. Lewis, _The Four Loves_


End file.
